His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album ever, with Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995) also among the world's best-selling albums. His contributions to music, dance and fashion, along with a much publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.Īlongside his brothers, he made his debut as lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5 in 1964. Referred to as the King of Pop, he is the most commercially successful entertainer of all time, and one of the most influential. Michael Joseph Jackson (Aug– June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer and entertainer. His works are mainstays of Romanticism in 19th-century classical music. Chopin invented musical forms such as the ballade and was responsible for major innovations in forms such as the piano sonata, waltz, nocturne, étude, impromptu and prelude. Though technically demanding, Chopin's style emphasizes nuance and expressive depth rather than virtuosity. A Polish patriot,Ĭhopin's extant compositions were written primarily for the piano as a solo instrument. In Paris, he made a comfortable living as a composer and piano teacher, while giving few public performances. In November 1830, at the age of 20, Chopin went abroad following the suppression of the Polish November Uprising of 1830–31, he became one of many expatriates of the Polish "Great Emigration."
He was born in the village of Żelazowa Wola, in the Duchy of Warsaw, to a Polish mother and French-expatriate father, and in his early life was regarded as a child-prodigy pianist. He is widely regarded as the greatest Polish composer, and ranks as one of music's greatest tone poets. tour.įrédéric Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period. Despite critical acclaim, Wainwright has experienced limited commercial success in the United States, although the release of Release the Stars saw increased media attention there, as did the associated 2007 U.S. He often performs with his sister, Martha Wainwright, on backup vocals. Many of his compositions are densely packed amalgams of strings, horns, operatic choruses, ragtime rhythms, with a warm vocal timbre. Some of Wainwright's songs are described as "popera" (pop opera) or "baroque pop". Wainwright is an opera fan and likes Franz Schubert's Lieder. While some songs feature just Wainwright and his piano, his later work is often accompanied by rock instrumentation or a symphony orchestra, displaying complex layering and harmonies with an operatic feel. In addition to his baritone singing voice, he plays piano and guitar, often switching between the two instruments when performing live.
He has recorded five albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Grammy-nominated, Canadian-American singer-songwriter.